Piano-bench.



A. A. 'HUSEBY.

PIANO BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.6, 1911.

Patented June 20, 1911.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

MW w W A. A. HUSEBY.

PIANO BENCH. APPLICATION FILED MAR.6,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented June 20, 1911.

' prising a top wall or finishing strip 14 (Fig,

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PIANO-BENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 22, 1911.

Application filed March 6, 1911. Serial No. 612,597.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. HUSEBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Benches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to piano benches and has for its main objects to provide an I understood when considered in connection with'the accompanying drawings, in which Ihave shown one practical form in which the invention may be embodied, and in which- Figure 1 is an end elevational view, partly in vertical section of my improved piano bench. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary topplan view of one end of the bench, with the seatboard removed and the finishing strip broken away to show the catch mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section through one corner of the bench illustrating the mechanism for effecting the automatic tilting of the seat-board when the seatbody is raised, the seat-board being shown. in lowered position. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. at and showing the seat-board in raised position, I

- Referring to the drawings, 10 designates each of the four legs of the bench which are strongly united by transverse end braces 11 and a central longitudinal brace 12 connecting the end braces 11. The legs 10 are square in cross section, and their upper ends are telescopingly engaged by a rectangular hollow seat-body, or frame having at its four corners vertical sleeves 13. The two sleeves at each end are connected transversely by a narrow box-like structure com 1'), an arched'bottomlwall 15 formed with a 'central hole 16 for a purpose hereinafter described, and outer and inner side walls 17 and 18, respectively; and between the end compartments last described is a rectangu-- lar space formed between the walls 18, side walls 19, (Fig. 2) and a bottom wall 20 and preferably divided by a central transverse partition 21, thereby providing two compartments 22 which are well adapted to receive and contain sheet-music. Resting upon and constituting a cover for this rec tangular seat-frame or ,body is the seatboard 23, which latter is preferably, and as herein shown, hinged at 24 along its front edge to the front wall 19 of the body.

Within each of the end boxes of the seatbody are a pair of pivoted catches 25 and 26 in the form of elbow-levers that are supported on pivot pins 27 extending between the side walls 17 and 18. The outer depending portions of these catches 25 and 26 play through slots 13 (Fig. 1) formed in the inner-walls of the corner sleeves 13 and are adapted, in the raised position of the seat, to rest upon the upper ends of the legs 10, as shown in Fig. 1; while in the lowered position of the seat they engage shoulders 28 formed by notching the inner sides of the upper portions of the legs 10. The longer inwardly projecting arms of the catches 25 and 26 overlap, as shown in Fig. 1; and on the under side of the inner end of catch 26 is a rubber button 29 located directly over the hole 16, so that the user,- by simply inserting a finger through the hole 16 and pressing upwardly can simultaneously operate the catches in such a manner as to withdraw them from the up per ends of the legs 10 when the seat is to be lowered.

Referring now to the mechanism for effecting a. slight automatic tilting of the seatboard when the seat is raised'to its upper position, it will be observed that the upper 1 ends of the rear legs 10 are cut away on their rear sides, as shown at 31, the vertical wall of the cut-away portion being formed with an oblique or cam groove 32. Secured to the outer side wall of each of the rear collars 13 is a backet 33, to the lower end of which is pivotedat 34: an elbow-lever, the depending arm 35 of which has at its lower end a laterally projecting stud 36 that engages the groove 32, while its laterally projectin arm 37 engages a rounded notch 38 formed in the side of a vertically disposed lifting rod 39;

this latter being guided in a hole 40 formed I in the upper portion of the leg 10 and extending upwardly through the sleeve 13 and through a hole in the finishing strip 14,'the

able material on the under side of the seatboard 23. To properly level the seat-board 23 when the'seat is in its lower position, and I to form an additional guide for the upper end of rod 39 an apertured plate 12 (Figs. 3 and 4) is secured to the top of the sleeve on the finishing strip 14, on which the es cutcheon 41 rests in the lowered position of the seat-board, as shown in Fig. 4. To prevent the accidental raising of the seat off the legs 10 when adjusting it to its raised position, stop-pins 43 are passed through the walls 18 of the seat-body, their lnner ends engaging vertical grooves 14; formed in the legs 10, said grooves terminating at then upper ends at points such that the engagement of the stop-pins 43 therewith will prevent'the collars 13 of the seat-body from being raised higher than is necessary to effect the engagement of the catches 25 and 26 with the upper ends of the legs.

From the foregoing it will be seen that,

when the seat-body is in its lower position,

the catches 25 and 26 will rest upon the shoulders 28 of the legs, and the seat-board 23 will occupya horizontal or level position.

To elevate the seat it is necessary only to, grasp the seat-body by the ends and raise the same until the catches 25 and 26 have been raised slightly above the upper ends of the legs 10, whereupon they will automatically engage the latter owing to the fact that they are so pivoted as to cause such engagement by the superior gravity of their inwardly extending arms. During this raising movement, the engagement of the studs 36 in the cam grooves 32 causes the arms 37 of the elbow-levers to raise the rods 39 and, through the latter, to slightly elevate the rear edge of the seat-board 23, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. When the seat is to be lowered from the elevated position, the user simply inserts a finger through each of the holes 16 and presses upwardly against the rubber button 29, which rocks the catches 25 and 26 inwardly off the upper ends of the legs 10 so that the seat may telescope downwardly on the latter until the said catches automatically engage the shoulders 28, supporting the seat in the lowered position.

The seat-board 23, being hinged at one edge and free at its other three edges, may be readily swung upwardly to uncover the compartments in the seat-body for convenience in depositing or removing sheet-music in the latter, the seat-body thus having the additional function of a music-cabinet. I

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides a simple and conveniently manipulated adjustable piano bench that dispenses with the height-adjusting low to high position by a simple lifting movement of the seat-body and from the high to the low position by simple pressure upon a pair of pivoted catches; and wherein the desirable forward tilting or inclination of the seat-board is automatically secured by the mere raising of the seat-body.

It will be manifest to those skilled in the art that the particular structure and mechanism herein shown and described may be modified in" respect to details without departing from the principle of invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof. Hence, I do not limit the invention to the particular structure and devices disclosed except to the extent clearly indicated in specific claims.

I claim 1. In a piano bench, thecombination with four supporting legs and means for rigidly uniting the latter, of a rectangular seat-body having at its corners vertical sleeves telescoping over the upper ends of said legs, a

box-like housing between the sleeves at each end, and an intermediate compartment adapted to contain sheet-music, and a pair of manually operable pivoted catches contained within each of said box-like housings, the outer ends of said catches being adapted to engage supports located at varylng heights on said legs, and their inner ends overlapping and being operable for retraction of the catches through a hole in the bottom of the box-like housing, substantially as described.

2. In a piano bench, the combination with supporting legs, and means for rigidly unitlng the latter, of a seat-body mounted on and adjustable vertically of said legs, a seatboard hinged at its forward edge to said seat-body, and means for automatically raising the rear edge of said seat-board as said seat-body is raised relatively to said legs, substantially as described.

3. Ina piano bench, the combination with supporting legs and means for rigidly unitmg the latter, of a seat-body having members telescoping over the upper endsv of said legs, manually operable means within'said 'seat-body adapted to engage said legs and support the seat-body thereon in a plurality of dilferent positions, a seat-board hinged at its forward edge to said seat-body, and means mounted in said telescoping members and legs adapted to automatically engage and raise the rear edge of said seat-board ward edge to said seat-body, means carried of each of said elbow-levers engaging the 10 by said seat-body for supporting the same in cam-grooves of said legs and the other arm raised and lowered positions relatively to thereof engaging said rods, substant-iallyas said legs, and means for automatically raisdescribed.

- ing the rear edge of said seat-b0ard as said ALBERT A HUSEBY.

seat-body is raised, comprising vertical rods slidably mounted in said rear telescoping Witnesses:

members and legs, and elbow-levers pivoted SAMUEL N. POND, in said rear telescoping members, one arm LOIS FORGE. 

